Side Hustles That Work: Make Money Freelance Writing
“I love writing, but I don’t think I’d be able to write enough for my own blog.”
I’ve heard so many people tell me exactly this. Many people searching for both a creative outlet and a way to make extra money.
Blogging as a lot of work, but it’s well worth it. But I won’t sugarcoat it: it is work. That’s why I understand the hesitance when someone tells me that they don’t think they can do it.
So how can someone still write and make money without needing the time and energy to start up a blog o their own?
You can make money freelance writing.
Freelance writing is writing for someone else’s publication (whether that’s a blog, magazine, newsletter, website, or anything else). And in a lot of cases, you’ll be paid for your work.
Check out more about how to get paid for freelance writing.
Some publications and blogs won’t offer compensation, but they offer huge audience bases to see your work and to link back to your own personal blog. That’s when it’s nice to have a blog to link back to, but it isn’t necessary to be a freelance writer.
No matter what you’re passionate about, there are many different sites and other places to submit your work and to get compensated.
Here are some links to lists of sites that will pay you for your content:
- How to get paid to be a freelance writer – HorkeyHandbook.com
- 38 Websites and Blogs That Pay Writers $100 Per Article and More – AllIndieWriters.com
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100+ Work From Home Writing Jobs – RealWaystoEarnMoneyOnline.com
- Make Money Writing Online: 13 Sites That Pay for Articles – ThePennyHoarder.com
Who can make money freelance writing?
Now, freelance writing isn’t for everyone. Honestly, it isn’t.
Freelance writing might not be for you if you…
- hate writing.
- can’t spell.
- have trouble with grammar.
- don’t have access to a computer.
Related Post: How I Earn Money as a Stay At Home Mom
On the flip side, there are some things that will make you a great freelance writer.
- If you are passionate about the subject.
- If you can spell and edit your own work so that when you submit your piece, the editor has less to do.
- You need to be able to follow the rules and guidelines set forth by a publication (word limits, original content, etc.).
- Bonus points if you’re able to send some high-quality original pictures with your piece.
What you will likely need to include in your submission.
1. Your original content. Not a copy-and-pasted version of something you’ve already had published on another site. This messes with the SEO (search engine optimization) of all of the sites with this content and it will likely be turned down.
2. A small bio about you. Usually only 2-3 sentences about who you are, why you’re writing about this topic, and where they can find more work from you (more on that below).
3. A headshot (or picture of your face). This adds a little bit of personality to your post. People like that connection! Having a good picture will add to the professionalism of your submission.
4. Your Paypal email (or your payment information). You’re doing this to get paid, so they’ll need a way to pay you. Communicating using the email that you’d use for Paypal helps to streamline that process. Note: I’m always wary about giving out any bank account info or even my address, so I recommend the use of Paypal or a PO Box for any kind of transaction.
Even if you just freelance for other sites, you should still have a blog.
Even if you don’t have a site to post to daily or even every other day, a blog for you will be able to house your portfolio, contact info, and will let you get your own traffic. This will help you to show sites that you’d like to write for that you have quality content and are a serious professional.
I get a lot of emails from people asking to write for my blog and many of them don’t have any links to their work or any kind of link to show who they are and what they write about. Having a website even for just freelancing work helps add some professionalism to a freelance writer.
What could you make as a freelance writer?
There are some people who make their full-time living off of freelance writing. But often times, they have contracts with publications that require certain types of posts, the amount of posts per month, and other stipulations.
As for part-time freelancers doing this as a side hustle, you could write one quality post each day for a month and sell it to a site or magazine for $100 and make $3,000 in a month. But that’s an extraordinary circumstance.
The most likely scenario is that you’ll sell 1-3 posts per week ranging from $50 or more each. Will you get rich freelance writing like this? No. But if you want to make it into a full-time career, you absolutely can.
Have you ever been paid for freelance writing?
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